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KRISTEN MULLEN / THE CITIZENS' VOICE
From left, Chris Jaworski, of Forty Fort; Don Engel, of Larksville; Shane Britt, of Swoyersville; and Geo Santee, of Swoyersville, are first in line Wednesday to camp out in front of Best Buy in Wilkes-Barre Township to get Black Friday sales.

DICKSON CITY - So much for family time on Thanksgiving gathered around the dinner table.

Jeff Branas and his two children have a family tradition of putting a tent up in front of Best Buy and camping out until they can buy televisions and laptop computers for discounted prices. The Pittston family has waited for the electronics store to open each year at midnight on Black Friday for five years now. This year, they were more excited about the experience than the actual deals, setting up more than 12 hours before the midnight opening.

People in the parking lot rode skateboards and watched a football game on television as they waited for the store to open.

While some Americans roll their eyes at the eager shoppers ready to kick off the Christmas shopping season, it has become an annual outing that some people look forward to for weeks. For years, shoppers would begin wide-eyed shopping the day after Thanksgiving, but some businesses have started opening on Thanksgiving day.

At Toys "R" Us about 4 p.m. Thursday, a line of a few dozen people sat outside the building, patiently waiting for the store to open at 8 p.m. First in line, Mandy Chapman skipped the traditional holiday meal and left her two-year-old daughter with her parents to go wait in the cold for 8½ hours for the store to open.

She spent the morning sorting through advertised deals to help her decide which places to visit.

"I wanted to get the good deals," she said.

Also in line, Jessica Weitz and her sister waited to get inside the store after spending time with their family.

Due to have a baby boy next week, Weitz still decided to risk the crowds to shop with her sister, a tradition for four years now.

Her family and her doctor "told me not to go Black Friday shopping," Weitz said. "But I'm still here."

First in line at Sears, Bruce Marchegiani of Jessup arrived at the store at 10 a.m. to wait for it to open at 8 p.m. He and many others in line wanted to buy a 50-inch LED television for $300.

"I figured I could wait in line for 9½ hours to save $600," Marchegiani said.

He and others in line said their secret to waiting so long was to stay occupied. People at the front of the line shared snacks, games and brought books to read.

After the stores opened, lines moved quickly with ready shoppers entering with different strategies, many planning to visit multiple stores.

While Marchegiani bought the television he wanted, others farther back in line hustled to beat out other shoppers for products in the store. Bobby Smith of Taylor waited outside in line at Sears for just over a hour and managed to grab the last of a particular drill set available in the store. Leaving the store, he hadn't decided if he'd finished shopping.

Lynn Pfohl of Scranton waited in line for a hour at Toys "R" Us to spend just a few minutes shopping. Not concerned with costs, Pfohl said she needed to arrive at the store early to make sure she snagged a particular gift on her daughter's Christmas list. She didn't want to say what exactly she bought so her daughter would be surprised on Christmas morning.

"I'm just happy that I got it," she said, walking to her car.

After going home for short rest, Pfohl and other family planned to wake up at 4 a.m. today to continue shopping.

"I just love it," she said. "It's a thrill."

rward@timesshamrock.com, @rwardTT

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